Modern concerns over health and physical fitness have produced an abundance of people who religiously participate in a variety of exercise regimens in order to stay in shape. One (1) of the most popular exercise activities is running or jogging. The muscular and cardiovascular workout associated with this activity makes it an effective means by which to stay fit. To further enhance their workout, many people carry hand-held weights in order to help build upper body strength as well as increase endurance. Unfortunately, many runners and joggers are the victims of physical assault by either humans or animals, such as canines. While devices such as pepper spray, shock systems, ultrasonic canine repelling systems, and the like, can be carried by the runner or jogger, such devices take time to access and activate. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which runners and joggers can be provided both an increased physical workout as well as physical protection. The development of the present invention fulfills this need.
The invention is a handheld exercise weight system with integral self protective features, and preferably comes as a pair to be held in each hand. Each weight system is provided with an activation button to activate the system. One (1) weight is equipped with a loud audible alarm to signal for help in times of duress such as during an assault, mugging, or the like. The other weight is equipped with an ultrasonic dog repellent system, which repels any possible attacking canine. The user simply presses the respective button on either hand-held weight, and is rewarded with immediate assistance. Each weight is provided with a user replaceable battery, and is completely self-contained and waterproof.
Prior art in this field consists of hand-held weights that sound an alarm or emit a protective spray. These prior art hand-held weights include dumbbell shaped weights with the internal electronics, speakers, and dispensing units incorporated and integrated with the weights themselves. A user is, therefore, unable to separate the weight portion from the audio and dispensing portions, if it is desirous to do so. Other apparatuses exist that a user may carry while jogging or running to assist with fending off an attack, but these do not serve a dual purpose of acting as a deterrent and increase the physical workout.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device that serves as both a hand-held weight and a deterrent for assailants while a user is jogging or walking outdoors.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a sound emitting device attached to a hand-held weight to enable a user to avail the sound to deter assailants.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a means to emit sound that will deter either a human or a canine assailant.
It is a further object of this invention to afford a user the ability to detach or attach the sound emitting device from the hand-held weight, at a user's discretion, so as to enable a user to carry just the hand-held weight, just the sound emitting device, or both the hand-held weight and the sound emitting device together.
An added benefit is to provide a waterproof structure to protect the internal electronics of the sound emitting device.
An additional benefit is to provide a modified end to each hand-held weight to provide supplementary dexterity and comfort for a user carrying the invention.